Limit search to available items
Book Cover
Book
Author Ponton, Lynn E.

Title The romance of risk : why teenagers do the things they do / Lynn E. Ponton
Edition First edition
Published New York : BasicBooks, 1997

Copies

Location Call no. Vol. Availability
 MELB  305.235 Pon/Ror  AVAILABLE
Description x, 307 pages ; 25 cm
Contents Ch. 1. The Romance of Risk / Jill -- Ch. 2. Ghosts from the Past / Ariel -- Ch. 3. Starving for Attention / Hannah -- Ch. 4. Dangerous Bedfellows / Maya and Tom -- Ch. 5. Mothers and Daughters: The Slippery Slope / Zoe and Jessica -- Ch. 6. Fathers and Sons: Taking Risks Together / David and Joseph -- Ch. 7. Mothers and Sons: Untangling Family Business / Mark and Opal -- Ch. 8. Fathers and Daughters: The Cutting Edge / Maura and Edward -- Ch. 9. Divorce Wars: The Buddy Dilemma / Jenny, Sarah, and Jonathan -- Ch. 10. The Wild West Lives / Joe -- Ch. 11. Acting Tough / Evan and Cecilia -- Ch. 12. Fighting Back / Eva and Jim -- Ch. 13. Risk-taking, Resiliency, and Responsibility / Will -- Epilogue: To Risk Is to Grow
Summary In The Romance of Risk, Dr. Ponton refutes the traditional idea that risk-taking is primarily an angry power struggle with parents - so-called teenage rebellion - and redefines it as a potentially positive testing process whereby challenge and risk are the primary tools adolescents use to find out who they are and determine who they will become. This new perspective is revealed in a series of mesmerizing tales about individual adolescents and their families. Jill, a 13-year-old thrill-seeking runaway; Hannah, a privileged daughter of suburbia who suffers from anorexia; and Joe, a high school senior with a serious drinking problem. Through these stories, we come to understand Dr. Ponton's startling observation that teenagers must confront and experience challenge and risk along the path to self-discovery
In The Romance of Risk, parents will learn how they can begin to understand rather than fear adolescent risk-taking, and how to communicate with their children about it. After all, teenagers will always romanticize risk. But with the support and guidance of parents and other adults, odds are the risks they take will be the right ones
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Subject Teenagers -- United States -- Case studies.
Adolescent psychology -- United States -- Case studies.
Risk-taking (Psychology) in adolescence -- United States -- Case studies.
Adolescent psychotherapy -- United States -- Case studies.
LC no. 97012138
ISBN 0465070752